OFF THE RAILS

Paul Gosar Boasts of His ‘Thug Life’ Cred as His Own Family Demands His Ouster Over Violent Murder Video

The Arizona Republican appeared to relish the backlash over his violent anime video on Gettr.

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) appears to be relishing the backlash over his decision to share a violent murder fantasy on Twitter even after the move got him formally censured by the House.

Just hours after he was stripped of all committee assignments on Wednesday, the Arizona Republican took to Gettr to share a meme boasting that he’d gained some kind of “thug life” cred. The “Gosar Life” meme featured a photo of the lawmaker with dark sunglasses and an oversize gold chain superimposed over him—along with a supposed joint sticking out of his mouth.

He captioned the meme “can’t keep me down” and in an accompanying video accused Democrats of attempting to “take away my America First agenda.” It was not immediately clear what the “America First agenda” had to do with the anime video he shared that depicted him murdering Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

He has refused to apologize for sharing the video and blamed his own staff for posting the violent clip, which he claimed was an innocent depiction of a “policy battle.”

He then retweeted the video late Wednesday, even as his own family condemned him for it—with his brother calling for his expulsion and even suggesting criminal charges.

“I believe he’s dangerous, unhinged, and is reckless,” Tim Gosar told MSNBC in the wake of the House censure. “And is somebody that, as I’ve said before, needs to not only be censured but he needs to be expelled.”

He said criminal charges should be brought if authorities deem them to be warranted.

“To be honest with you, it is about time,” Jennifer Gosar told MSNBC, calling the anime video shared by her brother “sinister” and “bone-chilling.”

She said the video marked an “escalation” in the lawmaker’s incendiary antics, noting that “this is not the first time my brother has threatened the life of representatives.”

Several of Paul Gosar’s siblings have spoken out against him in recent years as he has gone further and further off the rails. Just a month after inciting Trump supporters ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot and reportedly offering a “blanket pardon” to Stop the Steal organizers, Gosar spoke at a far-right, white-nationalist convention.

He was accused directly of orchestrating the attempted Capitol insurrection by three of his siblings, including Jennifer and Tim Gosar, in a video aired on Fox News this year that called for “criminal consequences.”